Bacon and Golden Introduce Back the Blue Act to Protect Federal Judges, Law Enforcement and Public Safety Officers

Bacon's 118th Congress legislation reintroduced with bipartisan support

Washington – Today, Reps. Don Bacon (NE-02) and Jared Golden (ME-02) reintroduced the Back the Blue Act, which seeks to ensure that those who risk their lives to protect others are afforded greater protections.

This bipartisan bill creates new criminal provisions regarding the killing of, or attempting, or conspiring to kill federal law enforcement officers, U.S. judges, and federally funded public safety officers. This includes firefighters, chaplains, and members of a rescue squad or ambulance crew. It carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years if a death occurs, and the offender would be subject to the death penalty. Otherwise, the offender would face a minimum sentence of 10 years.

In addition, the legislation creates a new federal crime with escalating penalties, including mandatory minimums for assaulting a federally funded law enforcement officer, based on the extent of any injury and the use of a dangerous weapon. An offender who attempted to flee from justice to avoid prosecution would be subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.

Finally, it creates a specific aggravating factor for federal death penalty prosecutions; expands self-defense and Second Amendment rights for law enforcement officers; and opens grant funding to strengthen relationships between police and communities. The full text of the Back the Blue Act, can be found here.

“Those who protect our communities – whether it’s on the beat, from the bench, behind a hose, or performing CPR – deserve extra protection from violence directed at them, including assault, intent to kill, or conspiracy to kill,” said Rep. Bacon. “The anger and violence have risen against these community guardians and this legislation is needed now. I am looking forward to working with Rep. Golden to get this long-overdue legislation passed into law.”

“At a time when violence against law enforcement is trending upward, we must do more to protect the protectors,” Rep. Golden said. “This bill takes a strategic two-pronged approach: First, it makes clear with new criminal provisions that violence against federal law enforcement officers, judges and other federally funded public safety officers will not be tolerated. Second, it opens new federal funds to strengthen the relationship between officers and the communities they serve and protect. It’s a tough, smart bill to ensure those who attack or kill officers pay a steep price, and to help reduce violence against officers before it happens.”  

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